Taking on the complete renovation of a
What’s left are the decisions that are made by us to guide them on the way to making this our dream home.
Early on, we knew all interior walls – which are about 3 ft thick – were to remain, but we’d need to cut doorways through some of them. All the old plaster was chipped off, exposing gorgeous stone walls. At that point, we learned that some of the stones were better looking than others, with some having larger, more consistent stones, and others comprising small, rough stones. We had to decide which walls could remain bare stone with a lime render to contain moisture, and which ones would be covered with plasterboard. There has to be someplace for the electrical and plumbing to hide so the walls with plasterboard are built with metal rails that create a space for these necessary things.
We’d hired an architect to help map out the exterior spaces and also deal with the reigning authority on buildings near a historic château, the Bâtiments de France. Once their approval was given for our exterior renovations, which took four months to receive, we were off and running. One of the first decisions was inspired by this photo from Pinterest:
We hope to create the same scenario, with the main house on the left, and our master bedroom annex on the right. Putting the bedroom perpendicular to the house, with a hallway to connect them, creates a perfect space for a covered patio and double doors into the bedroom, and it frames a courtyard at the front of the house.
Destruction before construction.
A lot of stuff had to be removed before we could begin to see the bones of this old house and decide how to proceed.
Some of the walls had styrofoam for insulation.
There had been a leak in the pipes which rotted the bathroom floor, so it had to be replaced.
Now the fun part.
So here we are, over a year since we made the
We’ve been knee-deep into decisions for quite a while now. Door and window styles, flooring, kitchen cupboards, appliances, light fixtures, paint colors, everything including the height of the new bedroom ceiling, was up to us. Most decisions had to be made as things progressed, and flexibility is key when dealing with such an old structure. Fortunately, our builder (who, thankfully, is a Brit so no language struggles for us) is a pro at all this, having done nothing but old house renovations for his entire career. He is there with helpful suggestions and opinions when we want them. As we are in a historic area, we were limited by the Bâtiments de France for our options for anything exterior, so that actually made it easier. They dictated exterior
Recently, it was time to select the flooring. It had been decided a while ago that the ground floor would be stone, the first floor would be hardwood, and the attic would keep the old tomettes.
I was fascinated by the origins of the various stone floor options. The brownish tile in the left photo is from India. The center photo is travertine from Turkey, and the grey tile on the right is from Morocco.
For several reasons, we finally decided on some light travertine for the ground floor. It will go nicely with the color of the stone walls. We visited a large flooring supplier and made our selection:
For the covered patio, we will use a resin board that is supposed to last forever. That’s long enough.
A bathroom too small for a sink.
I love the wonky frame around the doorway. Nothing is straight in the house and I think it just adds to the character.
Originally the house had only one full bathroom. There was also a toilet but no sink in a small area next to the kitchen. When we decided to turn the bedroom on the first floor into an ensuite guestroom, we moved the bathroom entrance back to its original location inside the bedroom. We wanted a larger shower than was there previously, and with the shower and toilet space marked off, it soon became apparent there was no room for a sink. We were standing there one day staring at the space, pondering what to do, when Bob said, “why don’t we put the sink just outside the bathroom, on an old dresser?” Bingo. A perfect solution for that space. The search began for the right piece of furniture that was 120cm wide, an appropriate height, and had the right configuration to hold a sink. Normally, it would have been fun to search for it at the numerous brocantes held every weekend all over France. But, due to the
Since I took the above photo, the old wattle-and-daub walls in that room have been covered with plaster (which is still wet in the photo) between the vertical beams, so this piece will look fine there. I may paint it later if the white is too much.
What’s ahead?
Things are starting to happen at a faster pace. The travertine floor tile was delivered to a local yard yesterday and the guys will start laying the floor next week. The kitchen is supposed to arrive and be stored elsewhere next week, to be put into place as soon as the floor is done. The final batch of doors and windows is scheduled to arrive soon. The painter is getting impatient and wants to start. There is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel.
We have decided that September 15 is our goal for moving in. This decision was made without consulting our builder, but I showed him the countdown I have running on my phone and he didn’t faint. So that’s a good sign. Stay tuned.
